10 Great TV Shows That Are Ugly On Purpose

If you think the slew of modern animated shows aimed at adults are gross and disturbing, you clearly didn't watch cartoons in the 90s.

The last decade of the 20th century brought a boatload of ugly cartoons, with the likes of Ed, Edd n Eddy, Cow & Chicken and Courage The Cowardly Dog diving into a deep pool of debauchery. Still, while those shows adored their ugliness, none of them could hold a candle to the vulgarity of The Ren & Stimpy Show.

Ren & Stimpy's ethos seemed to be to throw as much disturbing and ugly imagery into kids' faces as possible. The show's general aesthetic was one of twisted creatures and distorted bodies. But, it was the outrageous close-ups that generated the stuff of nightmares.

You saw some utterly revolting things like Ren being grated against a man's stubble, Stimpy using a crowbar to rip the nail off a puss-riddled toe, Ren picking nerve-endings out of his toothless mouth, a self-mutilating Jester and way, way more. Each moment was animated with an intense gruesomeness that made many people question whether the show was appropriate for kids, which, to be fair, it really wasn't.

It's one of the most misshapen, grossest and ugliest TV shows you'll ever see, and that's the point!